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How much does it cost to charter a private jet in the USA?

13 August 2018

People often call to ask us: “How much does it cost to charter a private jet?” The truth is, that’s not a simple question to answer. There are many variables involved in chartering a private jet, and each one will impact the price. Here, we explain exactly how we get to the final number. To start, how much does a private plane cost? If you’re a high-powered executive or an A-list celebrity, you could spend upwards of $100 million on the customized luxury airliner of your dreams. If you’d like something a bit less flashy, you could buy a brand new Cessna CJ4 for about $9 million. Pocket change, right?

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Claire Ellis

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Benefits of Chartering a Private Aircraft

While you could put your next few paychecks towards purchasing your own private jet, chartering is a far better option for the majority of travelers. Chartering offers all the benefits of owning a private jet without the cost and hassle of maintenance. Additionally, chartering allows you to select the aircraft that is perfect for you every time you fly.

Whether you’re hopping over to the Hamptons or bringing your whole boardroom overseas, the most cost-effective plane for the journey will be very different. Private planes come in a wide range of sizes. They can be small turboprops or light jets, midsize or super midsize jets, heavy jets or luxury executive airliners. The size of the aircraft indicates how many passengers and how much luggage can be accommodated, of course, but also how far the plane can fly without stopping to refuel.

How much does it cost to charter a turboprop or light jet?

Businessmen and businesswomen on a private jet

If you’re looking for a private jet to whisk you away to a weekend in the Hamptons, consider a turboprop. A Piper Aztec, for example, can fly you from New York to Montauk for around $2,900. Similarly, a 40-minute flight from Montauk to White Plains would cost about $2,800 in a Piper Seneca. If you’re bringing family and friends along, consider upgrading to a Cessna Citation CJ3 light jet, which can complete the journey in under 30 minutes and costs around $3,900. Turboprops and light jets are perfect for short journeys such as Los Angeles to Las Vegas, which has an average flight time of one hour and costs around $4,100 in a Cessna Citation Mustang for up to four passengers.

Here’s a look at some popular light jets and turboprops, and what they cost to charter per hour:

How much does it cost to charter a mid-size or super mid-size jet?

The costs of private jet charters increases with the additional space and extra passengers offered by medium-size aircrafts. Hiring a midsize jet means you can cover greater distances and reach higher speeds. The five-and-a-half-hour journey from Los Angeles to Washington in a midsize Learjet 40/40XR costs around $30,000 for up to six passengers, while the same journey in a nine-seat Hawker Beechcraft 900XP costs around $38,000. That works out at around $5,500 and $7,000 respectively per hour in the air. Alternatively, the five-hour journey from Atlanta, Georgia to San Francisco in a Falcon 20 costs around $41,500, which is $8,300 per hour in the air. Other popular options for mid-size jets include the Bombardier Learjet 60XR, which costs approximately $7,000 per hour of flight, and the Gulfstream G200/G280, for which you can expect to pay $9,500 per hour.

If you’re thinking about trying to save on airfares by chartering a smaller plane to cover a greater distance, be warned that this could actually end up making your journey more expensive. Smaller private jets covering greater distances have to make frequent refueling stops, which hikes up the cost to cover landing, refueling and the extra time added to your journey.

Journeys of six or more hours are best suited to super-midsize and larger private jets. The eight-and-a-half-hour journey from Chicago to London costs round $74,600 in an Embraer Legacy 500 or just under $94,000 in a Bombardier Challenger 300, working out at $8,776 and $11,750 respectively per hour in the air.

Here’s a look at some popular mid-size jets and what they cost to charter per hour:

How much does it cost to charter a heavy jet?

Luxury interior in a modern private business jet

Long-haul flights are best handled by heavy jets, the price of which often reaches six figures. In addition to hosting more passengers and offering a longer range, chartering a heavy private jet means you can benefit from a bigger cabin and luxurious plane amenities. A long haul flight such as New York to London would require a heavy jet like a Gulfstream G550, depending on how many passengers you have. If you’re looking to spread out for a business meeting, you could go even larger with a luxury airliner such as an Airbus A319 or a Boeing BBJ. Of course, these large VIP executive airliners are the top of the line and the price increases accordingly.The 13-hour journey from Boston to Dubai in a Challenger 850 costs around $147,000 for 16 passengers, while the 13-and-a-half-hour journey from New York to Shanghai costs a little over $176,000 for a maximum of 12 passengers in a Gulfstream G300. This means each hour in the air costs around $13,000.

Here’s a look at some popular mid-size jets and what they cost to charter per hour:

Empty Legs

Private jet charters can be extremely costly, but there’s another option for traveling in optimal luxury at a fraction of the price: empty leg flights. When Air Charter Service has a one-way private jet charter, the aircraft is often vacant when returning to its base or traveling on to its next location. These “empty leg” flights are ideal for last-minute trips or business travel, and are offered to passengers at savings of up to 75%.

So how much does it cost to charter a private jet? You can expect to pay, on average, from $1,300 to $3,000 per flying hour for a turboprop or executive light jet; $4,000 to $8,000 per flying hour for a midsize to super-midsize jet; and $8,600 to $13,000 per flying hour for a large private jet. The roundabout sum of chartering a private jet is always subject to change; for a full quote and to arrange your small, midsize or heavy private jet charter, simply contact us online or call a member of our team on +1 516 432 590.

Private Jet Charter Cost FAQs

Air Charter Service (ACS) has compiled these helpful FAQs, with answers needed to understand the costs of private jet charter. These are the questions you have been asking us, from how much a private jet costs to how to charter a flight to Vegas. If look through our questions and would like to know more, please contact our brokers.

Private jet charter cost: The basics

WRITTEN BY

Claire Ellis

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HOW MUCH DOES PRIVATE JET CHARTER COST?

As stated above, pricing for charter travel varies depending on the distances involved and the aircraft used. A short 40-minute flight in a small plane could cost around $2,800, while a 1.5-hour flight in a midsize jet costs nearer $34,500. As the size of jet and flight times increase, so does the price.

HOW MUCH DOES A PRIVATE JET COST TO BUY?

The price of a private jet varies drastically depending on its age, model and manufacturer. While $400,000 might buy you a 1979 Falcon 10 with around 12,000 hours on the clock, a brand new Gulfstream 550 costs upwards of $50m.

HOW MUCH DO EMPTY LEG FLIGHTS COST?

When ACS books a one-way charter, the aircraft is sometimes empty when it returns to base or on to its next departure airport. This is called an “empty leg” flight. You can book these flights for an extraordinarily low cost; up to 75% off the average cost of a private jet charter. Prices vary depending on the aircraft and journey.

HOW MUCH DOES A CESSNA COST TO BUY?

Cessna Aircraft Company is an aircraft manufacturer with multiple jets on offer, ranging in price from tens of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. As such, chartering a Cessna can be significantly more cost-effective than buying one. Find a wide range of Cessna aircraft available for private charter on our aircraft guide page.

HOW MUCH TO CHARTER A JET TO VEGAS?

The cost of chartering a plane to Vegas is dependent on where you’re flying from and the model of plane you choose. For example, chartering a Cessna Citation CJ from New York to Las Vegas would cost around $35,000. To charter a private jet to Vegas, just contact ACS for a quote or to discuss your private jet charter needs.